In some classes, such as Speech / Communications, you can be pretty sure you have to make an oral presentation….but the size of the room and class varies with the school you attend.

In some classes with group projects or team projects, an oral presentation may be required. But that would be part of the assignment.

If oral presentations are a problem for you, you need to do a number of things:

1) improve your ability/confidence to do presentations, don’t avoid them. It takes practice, and maybe working in a group and doing a group presentation will help take some pressure off you (rather than having to do it alone).

A good way to try to improve is in the privacy of your own home. Start with just a tape recorder to practice going over the presentation aloud…and listen to your own voice. Next, try setting up a camcorder to video tape your presentation. If possible have a mirror set up next to the camera so you can see yourself as you practice. Then review the video tape and try to note how you can improve.

When you actually have to give the presentation, look out over the audience to the back wall. Shift your gaze so that your eyes move back and forth across the room…but focus on the back wall. This way it looks like you are maintaining eye contact with the audience rather than looking down at your notes all the time…but in reality, you aren’t actually looking anyone in the eye…just the back wall….works all the time.

2) find out how the course grading is done. If oral presentations are required, find out exactly how it will be scored and how big a part it plays in the final course grade. Then you can determine if you can offset a possibly low grade on the presentation with higher grades in the parts of the course you in which you have more confidence.

Hope this helps. Best wishes.